Has the term "regenerative agriculture" come onto your radar yet this year? If not, Datassential’s new report on the year’s food trends predicts it’s only a matter of time before it becomes part of operators’ vernacular. The phrase has been appearing with increasing regularity on food packaging and marketing, as well as on menus. Regenerative agriculture refers to a wide range of farming principles and practices designed to restore crop and soil biodiversity, remove carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it in soil, improve water quality, and make agriculture more sustainable as a result. While it's not a new idea, it weaves together a number of modern sustainability practices found in agriculture. Sustainable foods continue to attract the attention of consumers – currently, 70 percent of consumers believe the food they eat should be grown on farms that use sustainable practices – so restaurant employees will need to be conversant about their own brand practices and values in this area. Plant-based foods have been on the rise for some time – and there’s no end in sight. A new report by Bloomberg Intelligence projects the plant-based foods market to comprise a substantial share of the global protein market, reaching 7.7 percent by 2030 – a huge leap from where it was in 2020. Consumer interest in healthy, sustainable foods is driving the trend. Plant-based options are expanding into in new product categories including ice cream, eggs, cheese and seafood options. The recent National Restaurant Association Show reflected the continued rise of plant-based options, with a plant-based tuna filet and shrimp attracting attention and accolades in the seafood category. A cool drink can be an even bigger draw than great food on a hot summer day – and more consumers are looking for beverage options without alcohol. Food Navigator research found that low- and no-alcohol consumption is on track to rise by one-third by 2026. What could be helpful for restaurant operators to know is that many of these beverages cost just as much on store shelves as their alcoholic counterparts do – and your menu prices can reflect that. But according to Mintel research, it’s important to promote the experience of these drinks to justify the price tag. Experience-enhancing traits could include flavor combinations that are perceived to be higher-end, eye-catching colors, and ingredients that profess to improve health or mood. Environmental friendliness means a lot more to today’s consumers than it did just a few years ago – and to accommodate that change, restaurants are making changes well beyond the food they serve. For example, Taco Bell’s planned installation of electric vehicle charging stations in more than 100 of its California restaurants this year is not only a nod to its environmentally aware guests in the state. It also has the potential to help the brand pull business from convenience stores, which, as Modern Restaurant Management put it recently, have been taking a “larger piece of the quick-service restaurant pie” with their ability to combine multiple service offerings in one stop. Considering the habits and values of your guests, how might you demonstrate your environmental awareness in creative, convenient ways – whether large or small, and both on your menu and beyond it? |
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